Washing machine pulsator with agitating wings

ABSTRACT

Mechanism of agitating washing water during laundry in a washing machine. The washing machine includes a rotating plate at the bottom of the washing tub. One or more first wings protrude from the rotating plate. Each first wing has at least one recessed surface areas and protruding peripherals outside the recessed surface area. One or more second wings with a different geometric configuration from the first wings protrude from the rotating plate. When rotating, the first wings and the second wings are operable to cause the washing water to flow in substantially different directions, which advantageously contribute to reduce clothes entanglement. The first wings and the second wings are alternately disposed on the rotating plate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit and priority to Korean PatentApplication No.10-2014-0125756, filed on Sep. 22, 2014, with the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein in its entirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a washing machine design and washingmethod, and more specifically, relates to a washing water agitatingmechanism of washing machine.

BACKGROUND

In general, a washing machine refers to an apparatus which eliminatesforeign substances on or in laundry by agitating and rotating washingwater together with the laundry. The washing machine typically uses amotor to drive the rotation of a washing tub, and performs washing,rinsing, and spin-drying processes to clean the laundry.

The washing machines are widely classified into cylinder type washingmachines, agitator type washing machines, and pulsator type washingmachines in accordance with the configurations of the washing machines.A pulsator type washing machine has a circular plate-shaped pulsatorinstalled at the bottom of the washing tub. During the washing process,washing water is agitated by the rotating pulsator.

To stimulate a strong flow of the washing water and thereby increase thecleaning efficiency, pulsators with agitating wings are typically used.For example, multiple agitating wings of various shapes are formed indifferent locations on an upper surface of the pulsator.

Some of the agitating wing configurations according to the prior artcause intense agitation in the washing water, and the wings likely causeundesirable clothes entanglement as well, which leads to laundry damageto and counteracts cleaning efficiency.

SUMMARY

Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a mechanism offeringsuperior washing efficiency without causing heavy clothes entanglementand laundry damage.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a washing machine and awashing method with improved cleaning performance with reduced clothingentanglement.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a washing machineincluding: a rotating plate installed at the bottom of a washing tub andone or more first wings each having one or more recessed surfaceportions. The first wings are formed on the upper surface of therotating plate. One or more second wings have a shape different fromthat of the first wings and formed on the upper surface of the rotatingplate as well.

The first wings and the second wings may protrude upward from therotating plate. The recessed surface portions of a first wing may bedepressed downward from the upper surface of a first wing.

A part of an outer peripheral of the first wing may protrude higher fromthe rotating plate than the central portion of the first wing which is arecessed surface portion.

The rotating plate may further include an impeller accommodating portionformed at its rotation center. The washing machine may further includean impeller coupled to the impeller accommodating portion.

The first wings and the second wings may be alternately disposed on therotating plate. Widths of a first wing and a recessed surface portionmay increase in the outward radial direction with reference to therotating plate center. The height of the outer peripheral of the firstwing may decrease in the outward radial direction with reference to therotating plate center. The height of the second wing may increase in theoutward radial direction with reference to the rotating plate center.The first wing and the second wing may be formed to have a curvedheight, respectively. A first wing may have a relatively larger areathan a second wing.

Another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides awashing method of washing laundry by rotating a rotating plate at thebottom surface of a washing tub. The washing method includes generatinga first water current and a second water current that flow in differentdirections in the washing water. The first water current is produced byone or more first wings that have one or more recessed portions and areprovided on an upper surface of the rotating plate. The second watercurrent is produced by one or more second wings provided on the uppersurface of the rotating plate.

The method may further includes a third water current produced by animpeller disposed at a central portion of the rotating plate. The thirdwater current may inhibit a concentrated water current from being formedat the center by the rotation of the rotating plate.

The first water current may be in a rotational direction due to therotation of the recessed portion of the first wing. The second watercurrent may be in an upward direction with reference to the rotatingplate.

According to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, thewashing machine and the washing method may advantageoulsy improvecleaning performance of laundry without heavy clothing entanglement.

This summary contains, by necessity, simplifications, generalizationsand omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art willappreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is not intended tobe in any way limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, andadvantages of the present invention, as defined solely by the claims,will become apparent in the non-limiting detailed description set forthbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will be better understood from areading of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing figures in which like reference charactersdesignate like elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary washing machineaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary pulsator used in thewashing machine of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the exemplary pulsator of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the exemplary pulsator of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a table comparing performance data between an experimentalexample according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosureand Comparative Examples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferredembodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limitthe invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention isintended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which maybe included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined bythe appended claims. Furthermore, in the following detailed descriptionof embodiments of the present invention, numerous specific details areset forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the presentinvention. However, it will be recognized by one of ordinary skill inthe art that the present invention may be practiced without thesespecific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures,components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not tounnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments of the presentinvention. The drawings showing embodiments of the invention aresemi-diagrammatic and not to scale and, particularly, some of thedimensions are for the clarity of presentation and are shown exaggeratedin the drawing Figures. Similarly, although the views in the drawingsfor the ease of description generally show similar orientations, thisdepiction in the Figures is arbitrary for the most part. Generally, theinvention can be operated in any orientation.

NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the followingdiscussions, it is appreciated that throughout the present invention,discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “accessing” or“executing” or “storing” or “rendering” or the like, refer to the actionand processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computingdevice, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical(electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers andmemories and other computer readable media into other data similarlyrepresented as physical quantities within the computer system memoriesor registers or other such information storage, transmission or clientdevices. When a component appears in several embodiments, the use of thesame reference numeral signifies that the component is the samecomponent as illustrated in the original embodiment.

WASHING MACHINE PULSATOR WITH AGITATING WINGS

Hereinafter, an exemplary washing machine 101 according to an embodimentof the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to4.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the washing machine 101 includes awashing tub 200, and a pulsator 300. The washing machine 101 furtherincludes an impeller 600, a drive unit 800, a casing 500, a suspensionsystem 700, and the like.

The washing tub 200 is positioned inside the casing 500 and accommodateslaundry and washing water. The laundry is washed in the washing tub 200.The washing tub 200 includes the inner tub 210 and an outer tub 220.

The pulsator 300 includes a rotating plate 350, a first wing 310, and asecond wing 320.

The rotating plate 350 is rotatably coupled to the bottom of the innertub 210.

In the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotatingplate 350 includes an impeller accommodating portion 360 at the center.

The first wing 310 has one or more recessed (or depressed) portions 313,or recessed surface areas. The first wing 310 is disposed on an uppersurface of the rotating plate 350. One or more first wings may be formedon the upper surface of the rotating plate 350, as shown.

The first wing 310 protrudes upward from the rotating plate 350. Therecessed portion 313 is depressed from the upper surface of the firstwing 310.

More specifically, the peripheral portion of an upper surface of thefirst wing 310 is higher than the central portion of the upper surfaceof the first wing 310. In this example, the central portion of the uppersurface is the recessed portion 313.

The first wing 310 and the recessed portion 313 become wider along theoutward radial direction with reference to the center of the rotatingplate 350. In this example, the first wing 310 projects anear-triangular shape on the rotating plate 350 plane.

The height of the protruding portion of the first wing 310 decreasesalong the outward radial direction with reference to the center of therotating plate 350.

The second wing 320 is disposed on the upper surface of the rotatingplate 350 and has a shape different from the shape of the first wing310. Additional second wings 320 may also be formed or otherwisedisposed on the upper surface of the rotating plate 350, as shown.

The second wing 320 protrudes upward from the rotating plate 350. Theheight of the second wing 320 increases along the outward radialdirection relative to the center of the rotating plate 350.

The first wings and the second wings may be alternately disposed on therotating plate 350. The first wing 310 and the second wing 320 may beformed to have curved height profiles, respectively. That is, the uppersurface of the peripheral (the protruding portion) of the first wing 310also has a non-linear height profile and becomes increasingly loweralong the outward radial direction with reference to the rotation centerof the rotating plate 350. The major portion (center) of second wing 320has a non-linear height profile and becomes increasingly taller alongthe outward radial direction relative to the rotation center of therotating plate 350.

The first wing 310 occupies a larger area on the rotating plate than thesecond wing 320 and has a larger surface area than the second wing 320.

The impeller 600 is installed in the impeller accommodating portion 360.The impeller 600 causes additional water flow aside from the flow causedby the rotation of the rotating plate 350 during the washing process soas to assist washing and rinsing operations. The impeller also causesair flow during the spin-drying process so as to increase the effeciencyof spin-drying.

With aforementioned configuration, the first wing 310 and the secondwing 320 cause washing water to simultaneously flow in differentdirections when the rotating plate rotates. In addition, the impeller600 at the central portion of the rotating plate 350 causes the water toflow in another different direction.

The washing machine 101 according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure advantageously provides improved cleaning performance andefficiency, and effectively reduce clothes entanglement by producingmultiple water currents in different directions in the washing water.

The drive unit 800 provides rotational power to the rotating plate 350.More specifically, the drive unit 800 includes a drive motor 810, adriving shaft 830 coupled to the drive motor 810, and a clutch device820 for intermittently transferring the rotational power to the drivingshaft 830.

When the drive motor 810 rotates the rotating plate 350, the first wing310 and the second wing 320 agitate the washing water and laundry thatare accommodated in the inner tub 210 of the washing tub 200.

In the washing/rinsing process, the washing water and laundry move withthe water currents generated by the motions of first wings, the secondwings, and the impeller 600, respectively.

The suspension system 700 has one side coupled to the washing tub 200,and the other side coupled to the casing 500, thereby absorbingvibration of the washing tub 200 caused by the rotation of the drivemotor 810 and the associated rotating components, e.g., the inner tub210.

Hereinafter, an examplary washing method performed by the washingmachine 101 according to the exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure will be described. In this example, the washing methodincludes rotating the rotating plate 350 installed at the bottom of thewashing tub 200.

The exemplary washing method performed by the washing machine 101 usesthe first water current produced by one or more first wings 310, thesecond water current produced by one or more second wings 320, and thethird water flow produced by the impeller 600 at the central portion ofthe rotating plate 350. The first wings have one or more recessedportions 313 and are disposed on the upper surface of the rotating plate350. The second winds are disposed on the upper surface of the rotatingplate 350.

When the rotating plate 350 rotates, the recessed portion 313 of thefirst wing 310 causes the washing water to flow in a rotationaldirection; the second wing mainly causes the washing water to moveupward; and the impeller serves to inhibit a concentrated water currentfrom being formed at the center as a result of the rotation of therotating plate 350. The impeller also contributes to additional wateragitation aside from the first water current and the second watercurrent.

As described above, the washing method using the washing machine 101according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure mayadvantageously improve performance of cleaning laundry and effectivelyreduce clothing entanglement.

Hereinafter, an Experimental Example according to the exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure and Comparative Examples will becompared and described with reference to FIG. 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, an ability to rotate clothes and a degree ofclothing entanglement of the Experimental Example and the ComparativeExamples have been evaluated through tests.

The ability to rotate clothes are assessed by the number of revolutionsof the clothes per minute. The degree of clothing entanglement perminute indicates the probability (represented by a percentage) that theclothes are entangled per minute.

In the Experimental Example, the pulsator as illustrated in FIG. 2 inaccordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure isused

The pulsator used in Comparative Example 1 does not have the wing withthe recessed portion as described in the Experimental Example, but isconfigured such that the width of the wing becomes wider with the radialdistance relative to the rotation center. In Comparative Example 1, aplurality of impellers are disposed at an outer peripheral of therotating plate instead of the center of the rotating plate, as shown inFIG. 5.

The pulsator of Comparative Example 2 has a different wing configurationfrom that of the Experimental Example, as shown in FIG. 5. No impelleris installed in Comparative Example 2.

The pulsator of Comparative Example 3 has a wing with another differentshape from that of the Experimental Example. An impeller is installed atthe center of the rotating plate.

The test results show that Comparative Example 1 has a low degree ofclothing entanglement, but its ability to rotate clothes is also low.The test results show that Comparative Example 2 and Comparative Example3 have relatively high abilities to rotate clothes, but the degrees ofclothing entanglement are also high. Therefore it is determined thatlaundry will be seriously entangled.

However, in the Experimental Example according to the exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure, it can be confirmed that thedegree of clothing entanglement is relatively low, and the ability torotate clothes is excellent.

That is, it is proved that the washing machine 101 according to theexemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and the washing methodusing the same may improve performance in washing laundry, andeffectively reduce the clothing entanglement.

Although certain preferred embodiments and methods have been disclosedherein, it will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure to thoseskilled in the art that variations and modifications of such embodimentsand methods may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. It is intended that the invention shall be limited onlyto the extent required by the appended claims and the rules andprinciples of applicable law.

What is claimed is:
 1. A washing machine comprising: a rotating platedisposed at a bottom of a washing tub; one or more first wingsprotruding from the rotating plate and configured to agitate washingwater when the rotating plate rotates, wherein each first wing comprisesa recessed surface area; and one or more second wings protruding fromthe rotating plate and configured to agitate the washing water when therotating plate rotates, wherein each second wing has a differentgeometric configuration from the first wing.
 2. The washing machine ofclaim 1, wherein the recessed surface area of the first wing is locatedapproximately at a center of an upper surface of the first wing, andwherein the first wing further comprises additional recessed surfaceareas.
 3. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the first wing furthercomprises a protruding peripheral portions outside said recessed surfacearea.
 4. The washing machine of claim 1, wherein the rotating platefurther comprises an impeller accommodating portion formed at a centerof the rotating plate, and further comprising an impeller coupled to theimpeller accommodating portion.
 5. The washing machine of claim 1,wherein the one or more first wings and the one or more second wings arealternately disposed on the rotating plate.
 6. The washing machine ofclaim 1, wherein the first wing and the recessed surface area areincreasingly wider along a radial distance from a center of the rotatingplate.
 7. The washing machine of claim 3, wherein the protrudingperipheral portion protrudes increasingly lower from the rotating platealong a radial distance from a center of the rotating plate.
 8. Thewashing machine of claim 7, wherein the second wing protrudesincreasingly higher from the rotating plate along a radial distance fromthe center of the rotating plate.
 9. The washing machine of claim 8,wherein the first wing and the second wing respectively comprisenon-linear crest lines.
 10. The washing machine of claim 6, wherein thefirst wing occupies a larger area on the rotating plate than the secondwing.
 11. A method of washing laundry by rotating a rotating plate at abottom of a washing tub, the method comprises: generating a first waterflow in washing water contained in the washing tub by rotating one ormore first wings protruding from the rotating plate, wherein each firstwing comprises one or more recessed surface portions; and generating asecond water flow in the washing water by rotating one or more secondwings protruding from the rotating plate, wherein the second water flowis in a direction different from the first water flow.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, further comprising: generating a third water flow by rotatingan impeller disposed at a center of the rotating plate.
 13. The methodof claim 12, wherein the third water flow is operable to inhibit a watercurrent from being concentrated at the center of the washing tub duringrotation of the rotating plate.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein thefirst water flow is in a rotational direction.
 15. The method of claim11, wherein the second water flow is in an approximately upwarddirection with reference to the washing tub.